Harry looked in the mirror and adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. He let out a deep breath as he gave his dress robes one last look over and attempted to relax despite the nerves consuming him. He was going to the Yule Ball with Ginny and knew there was no pressure with her but having everyone watching him to start the ball felt daunting in comparison to a date with someone like Hermione.

He blew out one last deep breath before turning and heading down the stairs to the common room. The room was filled with guys as everyone waited for their dates, unable to fetch them from their rooms due to the enchantment to keep guys out of the girls dormitories. Harry walked over to the stairs and didn't have to wait long as Ginny appeared soon after.

Harry offered her his arm which she took without hesitation. He was grateful for Ginny's timely manner and low maintenance attitude allowing them to quickly exit the ever filling common room. They left through the portrait hole and headed down the hallway in silence. Harry felt a twinge of insecurity with her, knowing he should talk but consumed in the anxiety of the opening ceremonies. He wasn't sure what to expect and had spent countless hours practicing his waltz, but he still felt the fear of messing up in front of everybody overwhelm him.

Ginny shoved him a bit in a friendly manner, reading his thoughts and encouraged, "We got this. Don't worry about it. The first dance will be over before you know it." She paused looking slightly up at him before adding, "Plus, if you can catch a snitch going nearly a 80 miles an hour or more, dancing seems hardly seems like a challenge."

Harry smiled at her and relaxed. She was right; he could do this.

They arrived outside the Great Hall and were quickly greeted by Professor McGonagall. "About time. I was worried you weren't going to show up," huffed McGonagall. "You have 15 minutes until the ceremonies start. Line up over here with the other champions." She dragged Harry to the right side of the massive wooden double doors that led to hall, and he barely managed to grab hold of Ginny's hand in order to drag her with him before McGonnagall swept him off to line up.

She pushed him in line and walked off to herd the rest of the students in the Great Hall and start the procession for the ceremony. Harry shot a look mixed with shock and amusement to Ginny, who stood to his right, causing a giggle to escape her lips. Harry smiled, knowing tonight was going to turn out just fine with Ginny. Then, he saw her from over Ginny's shoulder.

Hermione and Grant walked in to the entrance hall from the grounds laughing. His breath left him, and forgot how to resume for a second. She enraptured him, and he took in every detail of her as she came closer. Her periwinkle dress kept a flushed color to her light skin tone that came from spending countless hours in the library. She'd managed tame her bushy hair and pull into a tight, eloquent hairstyle that seemed entirely out of characteristic for her. He loved her bushy hair, but he enjoyed the beauty the rare updo provided her in the formal setting. A small smirk found its way to his face as he spotted the small simple heart necklace hanging down filling the space left open from the sweetheart neckline — a present he'd given her last year for Christmas.

Ginny followed Harry's gaze and saw Hermione. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Harry half-heartedly replied, still distracted by Hermione's presence.

"It took forever to get her hair under control, but I think we did a great job by the end."

"You helped her?"

Hermione caught sight of them both and gave them a small wave that contradicted the huge smile that lit up her face. Harry gave a small, slow wave before Hermione turned back to Grant and headed towards the Great Hall. Ginny dropped her hand and turned back to Harry with a slightly confused look on her face.

"Of course, I did." She said as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. "Boys. You all think we snap our fingers and are instantly gorgeous because that's pretty much what you do. It takes countless hours and multiple hands to get ready for events like this."

She shook her head at Harry but shot another glance towards the direction Hermione had headed and winked. Harry assumed Hermione must have glanced back at them, and the wink had been Ginny's encouragement to her before she had disappeared into the hall. Ginny smiled a bit before adding, "Grant is definitely one lucky guy."

Harry forced a smile and nodded before turning back around and letting his facade drop. Grant was definitely a lucky guy. There was no denying that, but the thought made Harry bitter and upset over losing her to him. He regained his composure quickly as the music announcing the start to the ceremony began and offered his arm to Ginny again. McGonagall came back and ushered the champions inside.

The opening dance was over as quickly as it began. Harry found himself smiling more than he ever thought possible as they left the floor; Ginny truly made it worth wild. They walked off the dance floor laughing and headed toward the tables of food on the edges of the room, desiring a drink after their initial dance.

"I didn't even step on your feet once." Harry excitedly said as he poured Ginny a cup of punch.

"I was never worried." She chimed in confidently.

He handed her the drink chuckling. "I was. I was positive that I was going to step on you for sure."

"I trusted you. You had it the whole time." She nudged him with a huge smile that illuminated her face. For a half second, Harry saw Ginny differently. His stomach flipped at the small touch, and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He was happy to be here with Ginny, and for a short moment, he couldn't imagine being with anyone else.

She finished her drink and slid her hand into his, pulling him back towards the dance floor. "Come on, let's go. Hermione and Grant are out there, and there won't be many more slow songs we'll be able to dance to before the band takes the stage and turns up the tempo."

Harry's face faltered as she dragged him there, but he decided he didn't care and wasn't going to let Hermione spoil the night. If he wasn't here with her, that was her loss, and he couldn't let it ruin the potential for a great night with Ginny.

Ginny dragged him out next to Hermione and Grant, and they all exchanged smiles before getting caught up in the rhythm of the music.

The night flew by, and Harry enjoyed every minute he spent with Ginny. They danced most of the night away and stole a few quiet moments here and there outside in the garden to cool off. Harry was grateful for these moments as he discovered a deeper side to Ginny. He was used to seeing her hard, confident demeanor but experienced a softer more thoughtful side of her that she hid from the world.

The crowd was beginning to thin, and the band was finishing their last few songs. Ginny wandered off to the bathroom, and Harry waited for her at a table, picking at the peanuts in the bowl. They were going to go for a walk when she returned and tried to keep the night alive as long as possible.

A shadow fell over him as he put a peanut in his mouth. He rubbed his hands together to knock the salt off his fingers as he began to stand and said, "Ready to go the—?" He stopped as he looked straight at Hermione next to him. "You're not Ginny." He stated the obvious.

"Wait what? I'm not Ginny? And here I've been living a lie for the past 14 years." She sarcastically chastised him.

A smile broke out on his face before he could stop it as a chuckled escaped his lips. "Sorry, I was waiting for Ginny so we could leave."

Hermione smiled, and Harry swore for a moment a small blush warmed her cheeks as if she had made a mistake. "I didn't realize you asked Ginny to come."

"Yeah. I found out she broke up with Brandon and thought it might be a nice night out for her to heal with." Harry partially told her the truth but refrained from stating he had wanted to ask her but she said yes to Grant before he could ask.

"But you like her."

Harry looked at her confused. "Well yeah, she's Ron's sister. Not liking her would seem rather inconvenient when we spend so much of our time at her house."

A small smile adorned Hermione's face and she slapped his shoulder. "I meant you were interested in being more with her."

Harry didn't reply right away. He looked at Hermione, trying to figure out why she was asking this line of questioning. He saw no jealousy or annoyance in her demeanor, and he almost could have sworn there was a glint of hope in her eyes. He finally spoke, "I. . .I. . . I don't know. I hadn't thought about it honestly."

She smiled at him and said, "Well, I think you look great together."

Harry forced a smile and muttered a thanks. The problem was he didn't want Ginny. He wanted her, but he couldn't tell Hermione. He had missed his opportunity and telling her now seemed like terrible timing. She was here with Grant, and he needed to respect that, even though it killed him inside.

"I guess I should let you get back to Grant. I'm sure he's waiting for you." Harry quietly said and sat back down at the table.

"Are we not going to dance?" A hint of disappointment dripped off her question.

Harry looked up at her with a quizzical expression before asking, "What do you mean?"

Hermione's shoulders dropped and a shyness fell over her. "We always dance together. I just. . .Well, I just thought . . .nevermind, I'll see you later." She turned and began to walk away, quickly.

"Wait." Harry reached out and grabbed her wrist. "I just didn't think you'd want to interrupt your night with Grant."

"We always dance together." Hermione stated it was a fact from a textbook. There was no arguing. This was just how it was, and no matter what changed between them or the circumstances of a situation she saw this as black and white as she did homework. This was what they did, and that was all that mattered.

Harry smiled and slid his hand down into hers, leading her to the dance floor as the band began their last song. Harry pulled her close and began to sway, keeping a small distance between them. They didn't speak but just let the music consume them. Hermione eventually closed the distance between them and laid her head on his shoulder.

A feeling of peace fell over him as the silence consumed them. He didn't want to talk. They did that all the time, and he was lost in the feel of her in his arms. He pressed his cheek against her forehead and breathed in her soft aroma. Her scent was almost indescribable. It was crisp but sweet as if someone took a lilac and froze it to preserve the scent forever. He tightened his hold on her waist and took in every detail of her body from the silk of her dress to the warmth of her skin underneath it.

Without thinking, he whispered in her ear, "You're beautiful."

He felt the muscles in her face move into what he was sure was her smiling. She didn't respond, but he didn't need her to. It wasn't a conversational topic. He just needed to tell her the truth about something.

He felt like he was lying about everything else between them, and he needed to be honest about something in their relationship. He knew she wouldn't make it anything more than a platonic gesture, but in his mind, he had professed his love to her in the most simplistic way he could without saying the truth.

The song lulled away into the night, and she pulled away from him ever so slightly. He smiled at her and fought to keep the loving expression his face. "Thanks." She whispered.

He nodded unable to speak in the allure of her beauty. His arms still wrapped around her waist as he fought the desire to lift and kiss her in the middle of the dance floor. He fought the yearning to push her bangs hanging loosely around her face behind her ear. He fought the burning desire to tell her the truth about everything he'd been lying about.

Grant's voice broke them apart and like that everything he had been feeling disappeared as if a dream escaping in the early morning. "Ready?"

Hermione turned to look at him, smiled and said, "Yes." She looked back at Harry and said, "Thanks for the dance. I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Harry's cheek before walking up to Grant and sliding her hand into his before heading off.

Harry stood there watching her walk away, hand-in-hand with Grant. A longing to hold her again filled him, but he push it off, knowing he had to let her go when he didn't tell her the truth.

He felt a warm hand slide into his and looked over to find Ginny beside him. She smiled up at him but didn't say anything. He smiled back and nodded his head toward the Garden exit to their left that would lead out to the grounds.

The castle seemed small and confining currently, and he needed the fresh air to recover from the night. He should've dropped Ginny's hand, knowing he could be leading her on by holding it, but he couldn't let it go, finding it comforting as he felt his heartbreaking as he rewatched Hermione walk away with Grant over and over in his head. This was his new reality and tomorrow he'd know if the ball was the only thing between Hermione and Grant or if this was the start of something more between them.

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand and leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked out into the garden. They left the Yule Ball behind them and disappeared onto the grounds to enjoy the crisp, fresh night air.

A/N: I hope you all are enjoying the updates. I have been struggling with the frustrations of life and as many of us do turned back to fan fiction to escape the things I can't control in life. I'm pretty proud of how this story is coming along and how the expanding of this storyline is developing. Leave a review and let me know what you think. As always, thanks for the continuous commitment to reading and devoting time to this story. Don't forget to follow the story to receive emails when I drop the latest update!

Always, AmGinny